A motor-vehicle voice-control system for motor vehicles has a plurality of microphones in the motor vehicle, preferably on a seat belt of the motor vehicle, and an evaluation unit that can select one of the microphones as a basis for the operation of the voice-control system depending on the acoustic conditions in the motor vehicle. Such a system employs a microphone-selection process.
Voice-control systems of this type provide additional comfort in the motor vehicle. A comparatively high voice quality can be achieved by the arrangement of the microphones on or in the seat belt and the associated reduction of the spacing between microphone and mouth. The signal and sound spacing is reduced to approx 10 cm, so that undesirable and interfering background noise can be reduced to a minimum. Communication is thus easily possible even with an open window and/or open sunroof or even in an open convertible. Furthermore, the best possible positioning of the microphone used as a basis for the operation of the voice-control system results in a considerably reduced distraction of the vehicle driver, for example, during a telephone call.
The best-positioned microphone of the voice-control system is selected depending on the height of the vehicle driver and his seated position. The selection and the activation of this microphone are thereby carried out by an evaluation unit of the voice-control system. A voice-control system of this type for motor vehicles or a corresponding method for selecting the best-suited microphone is described in a similar manner in DE 198 18 608.